CarbonHero - The Story

Over the last 3 years starting WeHero, we’ve tried to build our business in the most sustainable way possible. As the number of volunteer events we ship around the country consistently increased, we began offsetting our carbon footprint to ensure all the positive impact we were generating through our volunteer events wasn’t being negated by the environmental ramifications. The more we learned about the state of our environment and the amount of work that needs to be done to protect the current state of our planet, the more we all became interested in reducing our impact on the environment. As individuals, we all made minor lifestyle changes, but the changes needed to significantly reduce our carbon footprint greatly impacted our everyday lives. As a solution, we decided to offset our carbon footprint by investing in projects around the world that would not only reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere but also continue to reduce the cost of green technologies. Unfortunately, we quickly realized determining an individual’s carbon footprint and then finding ways to offset it wasn’t as easy as we’d hoped. One’s carbon footprint fluctuates monthly based on a variety of factors and we weren’t interested in putting in copious amounts of time recalculating our footprint each month to then appropriately offset it. Our mission at WeHero has always been to remove the friction for companies and individuals so they can give back to worthwhile causes without any hassle. We immediately recognized the need for a solution that easily calculated our carbon footprint and allowed us to offset it on an ongoing basis. We decided to partner with Sean Woulfe, an expert in the carbon emissions space, in order to ensure that the tools we built would be delivering a real impact. After months of research and ideation, we’re proud to officially launch CarbonHero!

How does it work?

We worked hard to make CarbonHero as quick and easy as possible for users so we can encourage the most amount of people to take positive steps to improve the environment. Here’s how it works:

• Step One: An individual fills out the CarbonHero calculator where they answer basic questions about their lifestyle. These include how often they fly, how many miles they drive, and a bit about their diet. It may sound like a lot, but most people complete the calculator in less than 60 seconds!

• Step Two: After inputting your information into the calculator, we show you how much carbon you emit on a monthly and annual basis. We also compare this to the average American so you have a sense of how your carbon footprint compares.

• Step Three: We offer you the option of offsetting your entire carbon footprint, a portion of it, or none at all. We’ve built this as a subscription so that every month your carbon footprint is being offset so you can live a net-zero life.

• Step Four: We invest these funds into the most impactful carbon offset projects that not only improve the environment but also have secondary positive effects on individuals in emerging countries. We also provide monthly updates so you have a clear sense of the impact you’re making by continuing your subscription.

Projects we invest in:

We invest in a variety of different projects to offset our users’ carbon footprint. These projects not only reduce carbon but also have a positive impact on people around the world. We exclusively partner with leading independent verification standards to ensure funds are invested into projects that make a real impact. The projects we focus on will continue to change, but we’re currently investing in three different projects:

REDD+ Avoid Unplanned Deforestation in the Amazon

A collection of 5 conservation projects preserving the forest and fighting illegal logging at the forefront of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest.

Carbon Offsets: 4 million tCO2e per year

Impact: 2.8 million acres of rainforest preserved or restored

100.5 MW Wind Project in India

‍This project consists of 67 1.5 MW wind turbines generating clean electricity for households and local water pump systems.

‍Carbon Offsets: 43,328 tCO2e per year

‍Impact: Powering the equivalent of 42,000 homes every year

Clean Cooking Stoves in Myanmar

Each stove reduces carbon emissions by 4 tonnes, saves 2.5 tonnes of wood per year, and reduces indoor air pollution by 80%.

Carbon Offsets: 10,000 tCO2e per year

Impact: 165,000 people benefit from lower energy costs and reduced indoor smoke

Our mission is to enable 1,000,000 people to offset their carbon over the next five years. The amazing world we live in is changing. Forests, coral reefs, and glaciers are all shrinking as carbon emissions increase year after year. Some say the problem is too large to fix – we disagree. Small collective actions by individuals can help slow down climate change and the impact it is having on our beautiful planet. Imagine living in a world where you didn’t have to worry about your impact on the environment. It’s not too late.